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Four people owing municipal court booked into jail

Police official: No organized warrant roundup underway

Four people who each owe Topeka Municipal Court were booked Thursday night into the Shawnee County Jail.

Police Lt. Chuck Haggard said Friday there was “no organized roundup per se” of people with outstanding warrants issued by the municipal court. However, he said, officers on patrol have a list of names and addresses of those with bench warrants.

People who owe large amounts of money likely are at the top of the list, Haggard said.

The city said in January the court had more than 29,500 cases in collection, nearly four times the number it reported in January 2013. Municipal Court Administrative Judge Vic Miller told The Capital-Journal the increase in the number of accounts going to a collection agency could be attributed to:

■ Defendants’ accounts going into collection after they failed to make payments required in their restructured payment plans.

■ New defendants entering the system, being assessed fines and failing to pay them.

■ The court finally having time to process and refer to the Collection Agency of Kansas cases that were awaiting processing a year ago.

The four arrested on outstanding municipal court warrants Thursday were identified in jail records as:

■ Jesse Quinn Ferrell, 34, who owes the city $3,049.50.

■ Carol Lynn Olson-Masimore, 52, who owes $25.

■ Reginald Todd Price, 48, who owes $774.

■ Oscar Ivan Lopez, 27, who owes $25.

“All were arrested due to their failure to appear in court on pending charges,” Miller said Saturday.

Miller said balances owed to the municipal court often increase substantially with the addition of collection fees and past interest. Those owing money can avoid such added costs if they make arrangements with the court before the case is referred to collection, he said.

In the past, the city has offered an amnesty period so people with municipal court warrants can go to the court without fear of arrest and arrange payment. Such amnesty periods were followed by warrant roundups by law enforcement officers.